• Protection for commercial tenants from termination for non-payment of rent – extending the notice period from 14 days to 14 weeks;
• The government can elect to extend the 14-week notice period even after a notice has been served;
• Pre-irritancy notices served on tenants prior to 7 April 2020 become void if they haven’t already expired;
• Tenants are not entitled to a rent holiday. The Act only delays termination for non-payment.
• No protection for tenants in breach for non-monetary reasons, but a fair and reasonable landlord will still have to consider the impact of Coronavirus on its tenants; and
• Landlords can still pursue tenants to recover arrears, but this is proving practically difficult while Courts in Scotland are generally dealing with urgent business only.

As it stands, the Act is due to expire on 30 September 2020, but the Scottish Government has reserved the right to extend this date to 31 March 2021 and then again by a further six months to 30 September 2021.

Matthew deals with complex and high value real estate disputes for a wide variety of clients, from property funds and corporate occupiers to developers and public bodies. He is especially well known for top end dilapidations disputes.